The University of Montana women’s tennis team signed southern Calif. athlete Ashley Mackey this week. The Vista Murietta senior has been ranked within the top 45 of the highly competitive southern California region.

In addition to that impressive USTA junior ranking of 42^nd in SoCal, teamrecruiting.net also lists Mackey as the 51^st-ranked recruit out of the state as a whole and within the top 250 players nation-wide.

Second-year UM women’s tennis coach Steve Ascher is excited for the growing prospects of the future Grizzly. The coach’s 2009 recruits Constance Alexander and Heather Davidson both earned Big Sky all-conference honors as freshmen. Of Mackey, Ascher said, “Most tennis coaches would agree that that southern Calif. region is the best in the nation. To rank highly within that competitive forum is quite the accolade for a junior athlete.

“I view Ashley as a player with incredible potential. Once she has the opportunity to train in our team-specific environment, we expect that we will see her thrive as a competitor and student.

“Ashley is the kind of recruit that you most like to see: she is strong academically, has a good mind for the game and is exceptionally athletic as well.”

Mackey recently qualified for the Calif. high school state meet equivalent in track, her triple jump winning the southwest league championship. The senior will also compete in the long jump.

In prep tennis, Mackey participated in Calif. state championships as a freshman and a senior, pushing to the third round of singles play in her final year.

Club competition has seen the junior play in national team tournaments including the Nike Junior Team Championship.

Mackey, who comes from Los Angeles, Calif., said, “I really like the small-town feel of Missoula. Everyone that I met was very friendly and scenery in the valley was beautiful.

“UM appears to have a lot of interesting activities going on, in addition to having what I want academically.

“I’ve never lived where there was snow, so I am pretty excited for that aspect of Montana as well.”

Mackey intends to major in health and human performance.